The Photopia Group of companies
was created by a young entrepeneur named Charles Gad Strasser.

The evolution and eventual
formation of Photopia Ltd around 1959 (the trademark name
Photopia had been in extensive use for several years previous),
which subsequently transferred into a public company called Photopia
International in 1962, is related below. Some of the information,
and my original inspiration, came from a brief article originally
published in the February 1963 edition of 'Photography' magazine.
The majority of the information, however, has come from personal
research, much assisted by a complimentary copy of Charles Strasser's
autobiography, "From Refugee to OBE" and a loan
to me of Charles' personal archive of Photopia memorabilia.

Charles Strasser's life story
autobiography "From Refugee to OBE" was published
on 23rd April 2007. It can be purchased either through Ian Rosewell
via the UK web site www.skylog.co.uk
(scroll down to the bottom right and click on Strasser) or via
the US publisher Wade Keller (at Keller Publishing, based
on Marco Island, Florida). The skylog site contains the following
prelude:

"THE LIFE OF CHARLES
GAD STRASSER is well captured in the title, 'From Refugee
to OBE'. The reader will find not only a passionate personal
story of one man's climbing of the mountain, but also an important
historical rendition from war-torn Europe to the flourishing
industries and institutions which have contributed to our current
prosperous world. Charles Strasser fled from his native Czechoslovakia
when he was 11 in 1938 just barely in advance of the Nazi war
machine. Six years later he joined the allied armies and participated
in the final victory. Before his twenty-first birthday he founded
a company that would employ hundreds and have an international
scope, with ties to Germany, Japan and many developing countries.
While he excelled in business, it was for his many humanitarian
services that he was awarded the distinction, Officer of the
Order of the British Empire. He received his OBE from Her Majesty
the Queen at an investiture in Buckingham Palace, 5th December
2000. The reader is invited to come along with Charles Strasser
on his exciting journey from refugee to OBE."

In 'Photography' magazine's
February 1963 issue, an editorial coulmn entitled 'What goes
on...' contained an article entitled: 'Go-Getter'. The
following draws on that 1963 magazine article, but it is ammended
and extended here to reflect information within Charles' 2007
autobiography.

The 1963 article began "A
remarkable young man is Charles G. Strasser, chairman of Photopia
International Ltd, the holding company of Photopia Ltd and Japanese
Cameras Ltd. He started in business on his own account in the
photographic trade at age 20. In 1947, with a loan of £350
and one camera, he started as a professional photographer in
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire."

In August 1947, his first business was a photographic
studio at 19 Hassell Street, where he traded as "Charles
G.Strasser, Newcastle Studios". The business soon expanded
to include a developing & printing service for customer films
and the retailing of simple low cost, UK manufactured, photographic
equipment (e.g from Coronet, in Birmingham).

Early in 1949, before imports from Western Germany
became possible again following World War II, Charles arranged
an agency to import German cameras from Dr.Max Wirgin, of Messrs.
Wirgin Kamera Werke of Wiesbaden. Although at the time of securing
this agency there was no immediate prospect of importing cameras,
just 4 months later the UK Board of Trade announced arrangements
enabling the controlled importation of cameras from Germany.
Each imported camera could be valued at no higher than £5.10s
(£5.05p) including freight and insurance charges (CIF)
into a UK port. The £5.10s CIF restriction limited potential
importation to Wirgin's cheapest and simplest 35mm camera, called
the Edinex (see below, RHS) but, convinced of the pent-up
demand within the UK, Charles ordered a delivery of 100.

By 1951, "Charles G.Strasser, Newcastle
Studios" began trading as North Staffs Photographic Services.
His activities further expanded to include wholesale photo
finishing, i.e. the developing and printing of films for 60 chemists
and photographic dealers in the surrounding area.

His staff at this
time, besides those involved with the original professional photography,
retail and wholesale photo finishing business, consisted of just
3 people, Mr Strasser, plus his wife (Charles and Maureen
married 8th October 1949), and an office girl doing packing and
invoice typing. "Demand was absolutely fantastic and initially,
instead of having to sell them (the cameras), we just had to
allocate them." Indeed, he 'sold' 25 cameras from the first
shipment on his way home from Manchester airport - to 'Robinsons
of Sale', in a Manchester suburb. Dixons, run by Stanley Kalms
(Charles and Stanley became good friends) had just four shops
in the early 1950s, but were soon taking a large proportion of
any consignment.

Wateler was one manufacturer with a useful
range of accesssories and a good relationship was formed, importing
'Wata' brand equipment.

Another important realisation
was that consumable items like films, processing chemicals, flash
bulbs etc had a much bigger sales potential than e.g. a camera,
which was purchased only rarely.

An obscure German man called
Mr Kissling invented a 'Flash Button' to use instead of
the much more expensive (around 4x) glass flashbulbs. The Flash
Button consisted of a little cardboard container about the size
of a tap washer, filled with a controlled amount of flash powder.
The base was card foot, coated with conductive silver (aluminium
?) paper which could be inserted into a special flashgun and
the Buttons were 'fired', either manually or via a synchronised
shutter.

Eventually, bulb
manufacturers, like Phillips and Osram, were able to simplify
and cut the cost of their flash bulbs (capless bulbs introduced
in 1955) to the point where they killed off the Flash Button,
but most dealers stocked them for a time.

Charles was keen to find ways
around the beaurocratic 'red tape' restricting the growth of
his business and found that camera accessories, such as rangefinders
and exposure meters, could be imported regardless of value and
without any quota limitations. So, he telephoned Wirgin and arranged
that their £7 camera with built-in rangefinder (hence too
expensive to import as a single item) be packaged with the rangefinder
removed, the latter shipped separately in a temporary housing.
In the UK, Charles set up an assembly line to re-insert and collimate
the rangefinders back inside the camera bodies - hence enabling
him to extend his distribution range of products to a sophistication
others couldn't match. "We did the same exercise with built-in
exposure meters, and that gave us further models without competition."

By 1953, Wirgin had developed a new, smarter
appearance 35mm cameras, under the brand name Edina, which
was advertised by Norths Staffs Photographic Services in Amateur
Photographer, in time for the June 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth
II. To see a full page advertisement for the Edina, click here. A Dollonds Phoptographic
Service (28, Old Bond Street, London, W.1) advert in AP for May
6th 1953, proclaims "Announced to-day!"

By 1954 the Edina had become renamed Edixa.
By 17th March 1954, the Edixa II, with a coupled rangefinder,
was being advertised. There were two models, both with a 43mm
f2.8 Isconar lens. The lower priced had a Velio 5-speed shutter
(1/10th, 1/25th, 1/50th, 1/100th, 1/200th + Bulb) at £24.19s.10d
(£24.99p), and the more expensive had a Prontor S shutter,
priced at £31.16s (£31.80p). A test review by Monarch
Publishing Co. Ltd, and reprinted as a Photopia advertisement
in Amateur Photographer magazine for 17th March 1954, can be
read here.
A full page Amateur
Photographer advert for 1st December 1954 shows a range
of 6 Edixa cameras, including the Edixa Stereo 1.

By
1955 there were models
Edixa 1P (with 4-speed Pronto shutter) and Edixa II P and Edixa
II SVS (with 8-speed Prontor SVS shutter), the latter two both
with coupled rangefinders (coupled to the lens focusing mount
but separate to the main viewfinder). A test review of the Edixa
IP and II SVS models, taken from 'Good Photography' magazine
for February 1957, can be read here.
A PDF of the instruction booklet for the Edixa I and Edixa II
can be downloaded here.

Through
hard work, re-investment and taking advantages of opportunities
whenever they came along - as well as building up around him
a young and enthusiastic team - more and more overseas manufacturers
of photographic apparatus placed their confidence in Mr Strasser,
and the products of more and more firms were distributed to the
trade by North Staffs Photographic Services.

Around 1955, North Staffs Photographic Services
moved premises from Hassell Street to Ball's Yard, Newcastle.

In spring 1959, the Lubitel twin lens reflex was the first
Russian camera on the UK market, though many different models
and types appeared over the next three decades. But Photopia
was the first UK distributor to see the sales potential of these
well performing, but economically priced, products. Photopia
unveiled the Lubitel at the 3rd post-war UK Photo Fair, held
in May at Olympia, London. PhotoGuide magazine for July 1959
reported:

"The Russian Lubitel caused
a minor sensation at the fair in view of its amazing low price.
.....it follows the traditional pattern of twin lens reflex design.
Focusing is by means of the meshed rings around each of the lenses.
....is remarkable cheap at less than £8."

Click here,
or the image alongside, to see an enlarged view; also to read
an extract from Charles Strasser's autobiography, "From
Refugee to OBE", that describes Photopia's 2 year involvement
with the Russian camera industry.

By mid-1956, Charles
opened a London office at 36, Wardour Street, Piccadilly, enabling
his Newcastle company to compete on a level basis with rival
distributors operating in the London area. Wardour Street was
in the seedy 'Soho' area of London, so during 1963 the
Wardour Street premises were upgraded, first to Noel Street (still
in Soho) and by 1966 into a showroom at Regent House,
235-241 Regent Street, London, W1, one of the main shopping streets
in the West End of London. This showroom was maintained until
around 1981.

The first own-brand item was a box camera from the Vredeborch
factory run by Mr Krause. Later (1957) they produced a simple
but stylish 120 roll film camera called the Felita (renamed Felica
by 1958), initially priced at £3.7s.9d, it was still on
sale at the end of the 1960s (priced below £3).

'Photopia' was initially
a name applied to 'own brand' products and was in use by 1952
as can be seen in several of the AP adverts, above. The name
was conceived to convey the idea of its goods being the 'Utopia
of Photography' and evolved into the general trading name for
North Staffs Photographic Services. The well known Photopia
trademark (see left) can be seen in the Edina
advert (click the link and see top left) from May 1953.

In
May 1957, the company Photopia Limitedwas registered
for the purpose of carrying on the business previously undertaken
by North Staffs Photographic Services.By 1959 this was complete and Photopia Ltd. became
the new company name, alongside Japanese Cameras Ltd (see
below).

By early 1960, as its importation & wholesale
national distribution business expanded, Photopia Ltd moved
to its Hempstalls Lane address and all previous professional
photography and retail activities ceased.

The picture shows Hempstalls Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs,
as it appeared in the 1965 Annual Report & Accounts.

To view a series
of catalogues advertising Photopia brand goods, click the link:

To view a full page
Photopia advertisement from Amateur Photographer magazine for
2nd September 1959, click
here.
"North, South, East or West, Photopia products are
the Best."

Ready for Japanese
Goods

Before it was possible to import
cameras from Japan into the UK (Japanese photographic equipment
already had an excellent reputation in the USA), Charles Strasser
investigated this source of supply and made advance arrangements
for importation to commence once Government restrictions were
relaxed. He was ready 'to go' on what turned out to be a most
valuable branch of activity, well before most of his competitors.

In 1954 the basis was laid for the future
formation of Japanese Cameras Ltd as the result of one
of Charles' earliest trips to Japan when he met with the very
small but long established camera firm called Chiyoda Kogaku
Seiko KK, which produced cameras under the brand name Minolta,
a company formed in 1928 by Mr.Kazuo Tashima, "known to
all as KT". In the 1950s, "KT" was still President
of the company. Although agreements forged during that first
visit meant that Charles effectively had the UK agency for Minolta
from 1954 (until 1980, 26years), UK import restrictions initially
prevented the relationship developing.

In 1957, a quota system for camera imports
from Japan was finally introduced, albeit only £15,000
for the whole of the UK. Nonetheless, Charles' prior arrangements
meant he was immediately able to apply for a part of this quota
and start importation via the readied company, Japanese Cameras
Ltd. The Company had the postal address of 50, Piccadilly, Tunstall,
Stoke on Trent. It was formally registered as a limited company
in May 1957 and became fully effective in May 1958. The first
cameras imported from 1957 were the Minolta Autocord, a 120 roll
film twin lens reflex (TLR) similar to the German Rolleiflex
& Rolleicord, and two 35mm viewfinder cameras. The sophisticated
Minolta 35mm single lens reflex (slr) cameras like the Minolta
SR-2 (1958), SR-1 (1959) and SR-3 (1960) and SR-7 (1962) appeared
later.

Photopia Ltd and Japanese Cameras
Ltd operated with separate sales forces and independent advertising.
During the year ended 30th April 1960 their combined turnover
increased sharply.

By mid-1960 (see, Amateur Photographer Camera
Guide for 8th June 1960) Japanese Cameras Ltd were importing
the Minolta A & Super A, the Autowide, the 35 Model II and
the V2, all being viewfinder cameras and fore-runners to the
highly successful Himatic series, of which the Himatic-7 famously
went into space with US Col.John Glenn on 20th February 1962.
The same AP Guide also lists the Minolta SR-1 and SR-2 single
lens reflex cameras and the TLR Autocord incl. the 'L' model
with built-in exposure meter and the Miniflex, a 127 roll film
TLR competing with the 'Baby' Rolleiflex.

In May 1961, the magazine "Cameras &
Equipment" announced two items of news relevant to Japanese
Cameras Ltd and the quota system of imports from Japan.
Under the heading "Tokyo Bound", Cameras & Equipment
reported "Japanese Cameras Limited announce that they have
now opened an office in Tokyo under the management of Mr. S.
Sandow. This office will undertake further development of the
extensive business connections in the Far East of Japanese Cameras
Ltd., and carry out liaison duties with Japanese Suppliers. The
address is: JAPANESE CAMERAS LTD., NO. 2, OGAWACHO, 3 - C H 0
M E, KANDA, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN (cable address GENEOPT,
TOKYO), and Mr. Sandow will be pleased to extend hospitality
on behalf of Japanese Cameras Ltd. to any United Kingdom dealers
or photographers visiting Japan."

Under the heading "Japanese
Camera Quota 1961", Cameras & Equipment reported "The
present Anglo-Japanese trade arrangements have now been extended
for a further period of six months. The agreements were signed
on Wednesday, April 19, and will be in force until September.
The six month quota will represent 65% of the total quota for
last year. This year's total quota, however, is not expected
to be greater than that for 1960."

From 1st January 1962, UK import restrictions on photographic
equipment from Japan were completely removed and for the first
time there was complete freedom of purchasing choice for the
UK consumer (European import quotas having been abandoned in
November 1959).

The Minolta agency ended in
1980 when Minolta set up import arrangements through its own
organisation, named Minolta UK Ltd. Fortunately, Charles had
already negotiated to take up the Ricoh agency when Minolta
went 'independent' and so on 1st January 1980 there was a seamless
changeover.

In
1962 there was a declared
Group profit in excess of £100,000 which enabled Charles
to apply for company listing on the London stock exchange. Photopia
International, incorporating Photopia Ltd and Japanese Cameras
Ltd, was 'floated' as a public company on 19th November 1962
with an issued and fully paid share capital of £250,000.

During the years
1963 to 1977, Charles was Chairman and Managing Director
of Photopia International and gave a statement to shareholders
at the annual AGM. To read about the 'ups and downs' Charles
encountered while successfully steering Photopia International
through a particularly difficult time of UK currency instability
and inflation, read paraphrased extracts from his AGM statements
by clicking the button (right).

In
September 1964, Paul Plus Ltd
was created as part of Charles' philosophy of operating a number
of companies, all with their own product range and salesmen,
and each having their own relationship with the dealer network.

Michael Mandel has e-mailed
to tell me that he was employed as an Area Manager from 1965-1968
within Paul Plus Ltd, which operated out of 29 King Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Staffs. They sold a range of photographic and other optical equipment
under their own PLUS precision products label.

It was Michael who first alerted
me to Charles Strasser's autobiography "From Refugee to
OBE" (see the top of this page), published by Wade Keller in April 2007.

This Paul Plus stand is believed
to date to 1966-67 and was possibly at a 'photo show' held in
an Exeter hotel.

Consac Limited was formed around the same time as
Paul Plus Limited, but was not a marketing company. It was purely
concerned with performing the accounting functions of the other
companies in the Group. The name derived from the term 'consolidated
accounting' and its formation led to useful economies in operation.

During 1965, Photopia International pioneered
a 'new deal' for their dealer customers by publishing a 'Dealer Charter', setting
out their commitments in support of dealer's selling Photopia
Group products.

In Camera magazine for March
1966, the Editor's Notebook reports on the success of a Photopia
marketing idea, being the 'Photopian' dictionary, a small booklet
containing an assortment of specially coined words with appropriate
definitions that (not unaturally) boost the Photopia products.
For example, 'Cheesetake';
a photograph taken for cheesecake
purposes.
Most successful if taken with an Edixa camera.

"If you think that this
kind of gimmick should have no influence on one's choice of equipment,
cast your critical eye over these 'phew phigures phrom' Photopia.
The response to ads containing Photopian words increased by amounts
from 375 to 780% !! Which only goes to prove that you don't sell
equipment on merit alone."

The trading address of Mayfair
Photographic Suppliers (London) Ltd became the same as Photopia
Ltd i.e. Hempstalls Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. This
company sold the Miranda range of slr cameras, a Japanese
manufacturer owned, interestingly, by a US company called AIC
= Allied Impex Corporation [thanks to Neil Robinson in Canada
-see
his Miranda Sensorex]. Mayfair Photographic also had the
agency for a range of interchangeable lenses made under the brand
name of Soligor. These lenses could be fitted to all the
well known slr cameras i.e. Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta etc.
The agency for Bauer Cine Equipment was acquired by 1972.

In
May 1968, Citizen Watches Ltd was formed, broadening
the scope of opportunity into another consumer sector. However,
by 1973 it was decided that the UK Agency for Citizen Watches
was not producing the expected return on capital investment so
was relinquished by mutual agreement. However, sale of such watches
continues in the Channel Islands via the re-registered Citizen
Watches (C.I) Ltd. In the early 1980s Charles acquired the Citizen
agency just in the Channel Islands for his new Jersey company
called Omnitec Ltd.

Around
1969, another new company
was set up, Interserve Ltd. This company, like Consac
(above), was a service company to the rest of the Group, handling
after sales servicing of the products sold by the five selling
companies (Photopia, JapCam, Paul Plus, Mayfair and Citizen).

Around
1973, the last of the
Photopia International companies was incorporated, this time
Plustronics Ltd. It was formed with the audio market in
mind, including Denon hi fi. At the time, home music systems
consisted either of vinyl record decks and / or cassette decks,
probably with an FM stereo tuner or receiver. Portable televisions
(unputdownables), simple pocket calculators, LED wrist watches
and, by 1982, microwave ovens, also featured in the Plustronics
catalogue.

From around
1970, the individual
marketing catalogues of the Photopia International group of companies
became combined into single, full colour, A4 sized brochures,
seemingly published every 2 years.

Post-1973, these brochures also included the
Plustronics range of audio and other electronic items. However,
separate catalogues for Plustronics were also published, possibly
because the Plustronics range of goods was not directly linked
to the hobby of photography and so it was convenient to be able
to economically give away slim catalogues to customers only interested
in audio equipment.

In the 1974
Report & Accounts of Photopia International Limited,
the 8 subsidiary companies were shown as below.

In spring 1977, as Charles neared 50 years of age,
he was aware that a substantial proportion of his wealth was
represented in his share certificates, which had a value, but
that value could suffer at the vagaries of the Stock Market.
Hence, with the UK's less than ideal economic climate at the
time, Charles decided it was time he converted those 'pieces
of paper' into bankable money by accepting an offer to be bought
out. His reasoning was explained to all 160 employees in a letter
dated 3rd October 1977.

The buyer was an organisation
called Central and Sheerwood who had interests in engineering,
printing, publishing and financial services. After due approval
by the Monopolies & Mergers Commission and the Stock Exchange,
90% of Photopia International shares were made available by the
shareholders. Once all was in place, Photopia International continued
much as before, but as a wholly owned subsidiary of Central and
Sheerwood. Charles stayed on as Managing Director for a further
3years as part of the buy out deal.

On 20th November 1980 Charles 'retired' to the home he had
purchased as long ago as June 1965 on the Channel Island of Jersey.
However, he still acted as an offshore consultant to his old
company via Photopia's Jersey office, which Charles had set up
in 1968. This amicable arrangement continued for a time, but
a change of management at Photopia International brought it to
an end. Then, while informing his previous competitors and other
Members within the British Photographic Importers Association
that he no longer had any involvement with Photopia, he received
an offer from Johnsons of Hendon to assist them find new agencies.
Since rumour within the industry was that Photopia International
and Central and Sheerwood were not doing too well together, Charles
suggested that Johnsons might consider making an offer to buy
Photopia. Charles organised meetings to ensure that the equipment
supply companies who had agencies with Photopia International
would readily transfer thier agencies to Johnsons of Hendon;
most said they would. With that knowledge, Charles bought Central
and Sheerwood and Johnsons of Hendon together and an agreement
was reached.

In June 1984, the line up of products available
through Photopia International Limited was as follows:

In 1985, as you can read on the history page of Johnsons of Hendon, Johnsons
acquired the Photopia Group and the status of Photopia International
changed once again, from a subsidiary of a public company to
again part of a totally private company.

As part of the subsequent rationalisation
programe, Johnsons closed their London operation working out
of the rented property at Priestley Way on the North Circular
Road and physically amalgamated the two companies in the old
Photopia head office building at Hempstalls Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Johnsons managing director, David Vaughan, took over the chair
and office previously occupied by Charles. For several years
thereafter, Charles continued to provide consultancy services
to David Vaughan, but eventually this arrangement came to a natural
and amicable end.

In 1989 the two companies were fully amalgamated
as Johnsons Photopia Ltd.

In December 2004, Paul
Roper, Marketing Manager of Johnsons Photopia, having read this
web page in its original form, got in touch to confirm that Charles
was enjoying his retirement on Jersey. Subsequently, Charles
was in touch and we have since exchanged several e-mails. He
has helped me considerably with information that has enabled
me to expand the Photopia story.

Every 5 years, on his birthday,
Charles throws a party in North Staffordshire for ex-employees
of his Photopia companies and usually about 100 attend. At the
party in April 2007 at Keele University, Charles celebrated
his 80th birthday. Charles remains in good health, spending
the winter ("winterising") on Marco Island in Florida
(see below) and the summers at his home on Jersey. At the time
of writing his book, Charles was still making trips (every 2
years) to the Photokina exhibition in Cologne, now as an
honoured guest of the organisers in recognition of his very rare
achievement in attending all Photokinas since the very first
in 1950.

Noteable ex-Photopian employees
include Rupert Cartlidge, who joined Charles as his Shop Manager
in 1955 when there was just one retail shop in Newcastle under
Lyme. Rupert progressed as the organisation grew, eventually
becoming Assistant Managing Director of each of the operating
companies and ultimately of the public holding company "Photopia
International". Another ex-Photopian is John Kirk, who started
as a salesman in the Paul Plus company within Photopia International
Ltd and progressed to become Export Manager in 1972 at age 23,
a post he filled until 1978. Pauline Hancock and Alan Clarke
are ex-Photopians who (at the time of writing) are still with
the successor of Photopia i.e. Johnsons Photopia, having both joined Photopia
in 1963.

Many, many other names, and
pictures, are viewable on a web page link sent me by John Kirk. The link
should open as a slideshow with numerous pictures contributed
by ex-employee 'Photopia folk' during the run up to Charles'
80th birthday party in April 2007.

Charles G Strasser, OBE
(affectionately referred to as CGS)

John Kirk

The
picture to the right is of Charles taken at the Marco Island
Rotary Club meeting on 4th December 2008.
Copyright acknowledged to Sue Keller

In his 1957 Photopia "Catalogue
& Price List of Selected Photographic Equipment", Charles
Strasser wrote and signed a foreword entitled:"Best by Test"
"It is our aim to offer selected products, the best of their
kind, wherever they may be made, at keen competitive prices,
giving at all times good value for money. Being proud of our
reputation we back all our products with a speedy after sales
service".

A similar promise appears as
a foreword to all Photopia catalogues throughout the 1960s. Examples
are shown below.